Arla Foods Ingredients predicts healthy snacking revolution

Snacks that are healthy, tasty and easy to consume are set to shape the future of how people eat and drink, according to Arla Foods Ingredients.

Research shows that as many as 90% of adults snack daily¹, with the average person consuming 2.2 snacks a day². Pleasure and convenience are the key drivers to purchase – but the winners in the snacking category, says Arla Foods Ingredients, will be products that combine these two essential attributes with positive health credentials such as those offered by dairy proteins.

To meet these market opportunities, Arla Foods Ingredients has created a package of three healthy snacking concepts incorporating high quality dairy proteins. The concepts offer food and beverage companies a way into the snacks category with added-value products that consumers will want to buy time and time again. They will be showcased on Stand E5 at Health Ingredients Europe, which takes place in Amsterdam from 2-4 December 2014.

Troels Laursen, Head of Health & Performance Nutrition at Arla Foods Ingredients, said: “High quality milk proteins such as whey offer a wide range of health benefits, including increased levels of satiety and stabilisation of blood glucose levels, which are fantastic for healthy snacking concepts. With consumers leading increasingly busy lives, they struggle to find time to eat three sit-down meals a day, and we believe snacking is the future of eating. However, it will be healthy snacks that are key to maximising success, and the concepts we’ve developed for HIE will showcase the benefits of dairy proteins in snack products that offer consumers nutritious and guilt-free indulgence.”

The three new healthy snacking concepts developed by Arla Foods Ingredients are:

• High protein smoothie – made with Lacprodan^® Smooth80, a whey protein that boosts protein levels in smoothies to as high as 6% without negatively impacting on taste and texture.

• 100% whey-based drink – incorporating Lacprodan^® DI-7017, this concept offers a milk or water-based drink that contains high levels of a whey protein concentrate that is highly soluble and digestible.

• Protein bar – formulated with Nutrilac^® PB-8420, a natural milk protein, this bar concept tastes delicious and offers a long shelf life, retaining its pleasant soft texture for more than a year.

References

1. Snacking patterns of US adults. What we eat in America, NHANES 2007-2008
2. Convenience in Europe, On-the-go consumption – Consumers’ motives, demands and requirements.